When riding in a group, each rider must individually ride toward the points on the circle. Photo by Gabriele Metz.
Book Excerpt:
Dressage School A Sourcebook of Movements and Tips By Britta Schöffmann
Circle A school figure 20 meters in diameter that touches both long sides of the arena, started usually at the letter in the middle of the short side, or occasionally the letter in the middle of the long side—in which case “X” is the center of the circle. How It’s Supposed to Look Usually, a circle
is ridden by starting from the short side of the arena. It must be perfectly round and planned so that its four outer points touch the middle of the short side, both circle points on the long sides of the arena (10 meters distance from the short side), and the center at “X.” The line of the circle must always be the same distance from its center—you do not ride into the corners of the arena. 10
Winter 2019–20 | Riding Instructor
Riding circles provides you a variety of additional training movements and exercises, including changing rein out of the circle (p. 20)*, changing rein through the circle (p. 29), and decreasing and increasing the circle (p. 172). Circles can be ridden in all basic gaits.
circle. Keep your inside leg at the girth and slide your outside leg slightly behind the girth to prevent the haunches from evading. These leg aids bend the horse along his longitudinal axis. Yield your outside hand slightly forward to allow the muscles on the horse’s outside to stretch; however, mainMost Common Mistakes This book may be ordered from horseandriderbooks.com tain enough contact to The Rider: does not plan a perfectly round circle; gives the circle keep the horse from falling out through his “edges” (squares it off); allows the circle outside shoulder. to be egg-shaped; does not meet the circle Goal of the Movement Since it is of generpoints on the long sides; rides into the cor- ous proportions, the circle is one of the first ners of the arena. movements on a bending line that is suitCorrect Aids In order to ride a perfectly round circle, you should have mastered the aids for turning (p. 1), and be able to focus on both the bending line ahead and the four circle points you need to pass through. This means looking ahead toward the next point and always turning. To do this, flex the horse to the inside with your inside rein—according to the line of the
able for a young horse or a horse that’s not yet warmed-up. In these cases, the horse should not execute any tight turns that could damage the joints; however, with the circle he can be safely suppled and gently bent to the right and left on his longitudinal axis. Riding circles is a good loosening exercise, and it prepares the horse for tighter turns later on.
